Ledger.



G. B. SIPPEL.

LEDGBR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1911.

1,091,594, Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

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C. B. SIPPEL.

LEDGER.

APPLICATION FILED 111111321, 1911.

1,091,594. Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

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CHARLES E. SIPPEL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LED GER.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GHAnLns B. SIPPEL, acitizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Ledgers, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification.

My invention relates to books of account and contemplates an improvedledger.

The object of my invention is to provide such a book whereby the keepingof accounts is greatly facilitated and simplified and the structure ofwhich is such that a very simple and accurate method of prepar ing theperiodical statements for the other parties to the transaction, as Ishall describe, may be employed.

In commercial institutions, where the account of each person or firmwith which that institution does business has a particular place in theledger, the various recitals set forth the so-called credits and debitsIn striking a balance, particularly in the matter of locating an errorin the trial balance, it is frequently desirable to know the source of aparticular credit or debit, mainly because of the appearance of thatdebit or credit in other books of the set to which the ledger belongs.

My invention contemplates a ledger wherein the ordinary ledger accountis directly associated with a so-called analysis which comprisessystematic ruling for the purposes of identification of entries, as willbe pointed out. My invention is unique in this respect in that thesource of each entry on the ledger is a matter of immediate information,without in any way complicating the ledger account-something whichaccountants are very anxious to avoid even though the bookkeeping systemin other rcspects might thereby be improved. The reluctance with whichbookkeeper-s and clerks adopt methods involving more complete recitalsin the ledgers is proverbial, and the merit in this feature of myinvention lies in the fact that the ledger account itsel remainsuntouched as before, while the additional information is in the natureof a supplement.

A further feature of my invention lies in an arrangement which comprisesmeans whereby the periodical statement sheet is physically carried bythe leaf of the ledger Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 21, 1911.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914. Serial No. 634,544.

upon which the account, to which it relates, appears. In practice, thestatement sheet would be physically carried by the respective leaf ofthe ledger for the entire period which it covers and whenever an entryis made in the ledger account, a corresponding entry will be made in theaccount on the statement. This arrangement may be employed whether ornot the analyses systems which I have described are utilized, althoughit will be seen that the combination is striking and that, whenemployed, the combination secures results not attainable by eitherfeature alone, although these features are novel, per se.

It is, of course, understood that in practice, where monthly statementsare the rule, the ledger account is carried on, month after month, onthe same page, until the page is filled and the importance of a specialfeature of my invention, which I shall point out presently, will beunderstood when the utility of guide ruling is kept in mind. Thisfeature resides in the provision of a particular kind of statement sheetand the particular manner of physically mounting it upon the leaf of theledger. In the arrangement which I propose the statement sheet, onceapplied to the leaf of the ledger, holds an absolutely definite positionso that certain systems, which I shall point out, can be followed.However, the monthly statement sheet can be applied to the ledger leafto occupy any one of a number of positionsand this by merely folding thestatement sheet in a certain way. Thus, as the account is carried downthe ledger page, the statement sheets can be folded to correspond, sothat the systematic ruling may tally, or a number of previously anddiffer ently folded statement sheets may be kept on hand so that atallying one may be employed whenever the time for placing a new sheetarrives.

\Vhen the analysis systems are employed,

the ordinary ledger account may be dispenscd with and the statementsheet, which really contains a copy of the ledger account, may besubstituted therefor. However, the entries on the statement sheet may bemade additional to those in the ledger account instead of insubstitution thereof, if that may be desirable.

The statement sheet of my invention is made in the form of a band,folded flat, and it is held upon the ledger leaf by its disposition on aportion thereof of reduced width. In other words, the leaf is notched atthe top and at the bottom and the band fits snugly over this notchedportion and in this way it is held against lateral displacement. Thisband or sleeve contains the usual heading of a statement of account andthis heading is followed by a debit column, a credit column and abalance column, quite like an ordinary ledger account. It will appearthat this sleeve can be folded fiat in position so that the printedportion thereof may appear in any definite position rela tive to theresulting face, and in this way the head of the statement columns may bebrought into alinement with the live entries, in other words, currententries.

My invention is embodied in the structure illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a face view of the ledgerpage; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary face view thereof, showing a statementsheet in another position; Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on theplane of the line 33 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction indicated bythe arrows; and Fig. 4 is a rear view of the arrangement shown in Fig.2.

Since the so-called loose leaf ledgers have come into vogue soextensively, I embody the features of my invention in this form of bookspecifically in the arrangement herein shown and particularly described.The ledger leaf is shown at A. The permanent ledger account is shown atB and it will be seen that it comprises rulings determining a place forthe balance brought forward, a debit column, a credit column, and abalance column. The horizontal rul ings of the permanent ledger accountare extended to the left, as shown at C and to the right, as shown at D.

C designates the debit analysis and D designates the credit analysis.The debit analysis comprises a miscellaneous column, a cash column, anda charge column. The credit analysis comprises a cash column, a creditcolumn, and a miscellaneous column. Each of these analyses comprises aday column and may also comprise a folio or item number column. If, upona certain date, a credit is to be made, this amount is recorded in thecredit column of the permanent ledger account and also in the creditanalysis in a column depending upon the nature of the credit. If thecredit is in the form of a remittance it would be made in the cashcolumn of the credit analysis. If the credit was for goods returned itwould be made in the credits column, and if the credit was in the natureof a rebate, for instance, it might be made in the miscellaneous column.The place where that credit might be found in the journal or the cashbook or any of the other books or papers in the set of the account towhich the ledger belongs, may be designated in the folio or item numbercolumn.

A debit entry made in the debit column of the permanent ledger accountwould be duplicated in the debit analysis. If the debit be for goodssold it is entered in the charges column of the debit analysis. If it befor cash returned it would be entered in the cash column and if it befor neither of these, such as transfer, it might be entered in themiscellaneous column. The additional date entry of course is made use ofand the folio or item number column may also have its entry. It will nowbe seen that when a transaction is made it is recitedin the permanentledger account and also in the corresponding analysis. In this wayorigin of the debit or credit may be known instantly and, since suchinformation is invariably the first required .in attempting to locate anerror in a trial balance, the accounting in this respect is greatlyfacilitated. The trial balance sheet is conveniently made up of the twoanalyses and in this way, not only is the origin of the itemsimmediately disclosed, but the triple addition and cross com parison isan additional source of satisfaction that the computation is correct.

The name of the account is carried at the corner of the page asindicated at E. In alinement withthe ordinary ledger columns, andco-extensive therewith, the ledger leaf is notched at the top and bottomas indicated at F, F. The statement sheet Gr,which V is in the form of aband and which is folded flat, as illustrated in Fig. 8, is slipped overthe leaf A until it rests in the notches F, F. The sleeve is made ofsuch width that it fits snugly upon the reduced portion of the page andin this way it is locked in the notch against lateral displacement.Being folded fiat, the band is also looked against longitudinaldisplacement and thus, once upon the leaf, it retains a certain anddefinite predetermined position. The statement sheet G has a headingwhich provides for the account number, date, and name and which,incidentally, provides a series of special places under the notationUnpaid balances are shown in monthly spaces below. Mainly, thisstatement sheet is provided with a debit column, a credit column, and abalance column, and these columns may extend around the sleevepractically back to the beginning of the heading. Thus a long statementsheet is secured and, if one page of the ledger is. filled during themonth, the band or sleeve may be shifted to another page, being refoldedso that the unused rulings may come into'alinement with the rulings atthe top of the new leaf. On the other hand, if an account of severalmonths duration is found upon one page of the ledger, each new statementsheet occupies an advanced position, that is, the statement with thesame name written thereon.

sheet is folded so that the space for the first entry thereon may comeinto alinement with the space for the next entry on the ledger leaf. Asa matter of convenience, it is wise to carry on hand an assortment ofstatement sheets so that one folded in any required manner may beavailable at any time. In Fig. 1 I show a statement sheet folded so thatthe place for the first entry thereon comes into alinement with theplace for the first entry on the ledger leaf, while in Fig. 2 I show astatement sheet folded so that the place for the first entry thereoncomes into alinement with the place for the fifteenth entry on theledger. It will be understood from this that any position may be had andthat, after a number of entries, in excess of the number on one page ofthe ledger, are made on the statement sheet, the statement sheet can beshifted to another page and refolded so that the next open line thereofwill come into alinement with the first open line on the ledger leaf.

It is to be noted that, by the construction contemplated, the statementsheet covers the ordinary ledger account ruling and it may suffice todisregard the ruling under the sleeve entirely. This is really thepreferable practice since the permanent records are kept in the analysesand an additional permanent ledger account under the statement sheet issuperfluous. In opening a new account the name is written on the ledgerleaf and a statement sheet is disposed on that leaf The statement sheetis placed in the position shown in Fig. 1, with the line for the firstentry in alinement with the line for the first entry on the leaf, andwhen the first transaction is made the debit or credit is enteredimmediately and directly upon the statement sheet and also upon thecorresponding analysis. on the same line and under the same date, inaccordance with the systematic supplementary ruling. All the businessdone during the month is recorded in this way, each transaction beingrecorded upon the statement sheet as it is made, and of course alsopermanently in the analysis, and at the end of the month the statementsheet is removed and sent to the customer. Then a new statement sheet isplaced upon the leaf and is folded either then or previously tocorrespond with the required position.

It will appear that that portion of the ledger carrying the statementbands will be considerably thicker than the other parts thereof, and, tocompensate for these differences, I providea plurality of divisionsheets S which are inserted in the book at intervals, for instance, forguide purposes where alphabetical notations would be provided upon them.These sheets S are made of slight thickness Where they register with thebands, as indicated at s and of considerably greater thickness wherethey register with the other parts of the ledger leaves, as indicated ats.

The statement band may be provided with a line of perforations P so thatit may be opened up readily.

I claim:

1. In combination, a sheet notched at the top and bottom to form aportion of reduced size, the notches being opposite each other invertical alinement and having their longitudinal edges parallel with theedges of the sheet, said sheet having vertical and horizontal ledgerrulings located thereon to the right and to the left of the reducedportion of the sheet, and a statement sheet in the form of a sleevefitting over the reduced portion of said first-named sheet, thestatement sheet thus being held in definite position, said statementsheet having vertical and horizontal rulings, the horizontal rulings ofthe statement sheet and of the firstnamed sheet being spaced equaldistances apart and registering with each other when said statementsheet is held in position.

2. In combination, a sheet notched at the top and bottom to form aportion of reduced size, the notches being opposite each other invertical alinement and having their longitudinal edges parallel with theedges of the sheet, said sheet having vertical ledger rulings locatedthereon to the right and to the left of the reduced portion of thesheet, and a statement sheet in the form of a sleeve having verticalrulings thereon and fitting over the reduced portion of said firstnamedsheet, the statement sheet being thus held in definite position.

3. In combination, a sheet notched at the top and bottom to form aportion of reduced size, the notches being opposite each other invertical alinement and having their longitudinal edges parallel with theedges of the sheet, said sheet having vertical and horizontal ledgerrulings located thereon to the right and to the left of the reducedportion of the sheet, and a statement sheet in the form of a sleevehaving vertical and horizontal rulings thereon and fitting over thereduced portion of said first-named sheet, the statement sheet beingthus held in definite position and having its horizontal rulingsregistering with the horizontal rulings of said first-named sheet.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 15th day of June,1911.

CHARLES B. SIPIEL.

\Vitnesses:

ARTHUR H. BOETTCI-IER, ALBERT G. MCCALEB.

(Ionics of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the "Commissioner oi Patents. Washingtoml). C.

